A free worksheet for historical family-history research
Genealogy source citation worksheet.
Keep the identifying details of a historical source together before you write its reference. Record the version you consulted, the location of the information and your own draft citation, without filling missing details from a guess.
Up to 20 sources · Text download · Blank or filled printing · No account
Getting the worksheet ready…
Record enough detail to return to the information
Start with the source you actually consulted. Keep its creator and title or description, the relevant dates, and the page, image or entry that contains the information you used. Add publication or collection details and the repository as applicable. A reference to an index can identify that index without pretending you already read the underlying original.
The St. Louis Genealogical Society’s citation guide explains why naming a large genealogy website alone may leave a reference incomplete: the specific collection, information, locator and consultation details matter. The Board for Certification of Genealogists’ article on citing sources describes references as a way to locate a record and understand the material used. This is an original worksheet for your own reference notes, not a reproduction of either source’s templates.
Keep the record date and the consultation date distinct
The date on a record describes that record or an event it reports. The date you consulted an image, index or transcript describes your research. Write each with its own label. If a creator, date, page or other element is not supplied, keep that gap visible while you look for the missing detail.
A fictional example
Label: Jo Zebulon, Example Parish index entry. Source description: Fictional register index, volume B. Locator: Entry 42. Version consulted: A transcription; the original register image has not been checked. Repository: Example family collection. Open task: Find the register’s title page and the image behind entry 42 before finishing the reference. No creator or missing date is invented.
Before you save your references
Is this a free genealogy source citation template?
Yes. It is a structured worksheet for collecting the details you need and writing your own draft reference. Print a blank sheet for handwriting or type notes first. Filled printing and TXT keep sources with something entered, including an unnamed reference-only entry, with their original numbers. Untouched extras are skipped; an entirely empty sheet prints one blank citation.
Does it automatically format Chicago or Evidence Explained citations?
No. You write and check your draft reference yourself. The worksheet gathers identifying details and keeps missing information visible; it does not apply or certify a citation style. Check the requirements for the book, research report or publication where you will use the reference.
Can I keep references to offline sources or indexes?
Yes. Record the version and location you actually used. A catalog or finding-aid identifier can be useful for an offline source. An index and an original image can have different references. The tool does not open links, fetch metadata, upload files or verify that a source supports a claim.
Are my notes uploaded or saved automatically?
They stay only in this page’s memory. They are not uploaded or autosaved; refreshing or closing clears them. Download text or print before leaving. TXT and PDF copies cannot be reopened here as editable citations. Include only the details you want in your saved copy.
Can I print from editing or save a PDF?
Yes. Choose Review my sheet, then Print or save PDF, or use the browser’s print command while editing. Check Letter or A4 in the preview. Each additional citation starts on a new page, and long notes can continue onto further pages. Field labels keep their citation number.
Keep a remembered story beside your references
Save your worksheet first. MemoirWell’s separate guided interview can help you develop your own memory into an AI-assisted draft chapter to check and edit. These citation notes are not transferred automatically.
Start a free first chapterDownload or print your worksheet before leaving this page.